By Ngwuoke Ngwuoke

The commitment of the Mbah administration in Enugu State reshaping and strengthening education in the state has won the applause of the Federal Government.

Vice President, Kassim Shettima expressed delight at the reforms in the education sector undertaken by Governor Mbah especially with the introduction of the Smart Schools Scheme.

Shettima who was speaking at the South East Business Roundtable and flag-off of the Light Up Nigeria Programme organised by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) held in Enugu, Monday promised to return to Enugu State to commission the ultra-modern, experiential smart schools and other projects.

Senator Shettima underscored the importance of education in the nation’s development.

“I am coming back to Enugu to represent the President to commission the smart schools initiated by Governor Mbah,” he further noted.

He described the Igbo as industrial people who must be supported for the country to work, adding that the South East governors are among the best in the federation. “If the South East works, Nigeria works”.

Senator Shettima assured Nigerians that the President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, means well for the Igbo people and Nigerians in general, expressing hope of a country with prosperity.

On the Light Up Nigeria Project, the Vice President said the South East is an industrial powerhouse whose economic fortune remains critical priority to the President.

He noted that the choice of Enugu for the flag-off project transcends geographical compensation to economic and commercial hub of the region.

“The choice of Enugu isn’t just for geographical compensation. With its renowned industrial layouts in Emene and 9th Mile corner, the commercial and manufacturing direction, potentials, and promise of Enugu State align with our vision of fast-tracking the economic growth and influence of this project beyond the South East, beyond Nigeria, and in fact, beyond Africa.

On his part, Governor Mbah said the Light Up Nigeria project had heralded a new dawn for power and industrialisation in the South East which would assist in fixing the perennial power challenge in the region.

He commended the Federal Government and the NDPHC for the solution-oriented initiative which would address the industrial needs of the region, making the South East a hub of manufacturing and industrialisation in the country.

According to him, the administration is already speeding efforts to de-risk investment flow, make the state attractive to investors through the right infrastructure and environment.

“The programme will certainly bring improved access to affordable power to the South East. This will in turn result in reduced power costs for the productive sector and enable them improve enhanced productivity and generate jobs.

“Therefore, this project aligns completely with our approach to governance in Enugu in the sense that it is a very disruptive initiative, which shows a deep ability to think outside the box. Today’s Nigeria requires a marked departure from business as usual to business unusual,” the governor further stressed.

Speaking on the significance of the project, the MD/CEO of the NDPHC, Chiedu Ugbo, said the initiative is aimed at providing reliable and affordable electricity supply to industries and homes by utilizing underutilized generation capacity.

He stated that the NDPHC was also initiated to establish trade agreements with bulk purchasers of electricity and mobilising investments to address technical, commercial and collection losses in the supply chain.

“The project aligns with the Electricity Act of 2023 which provides a strong framework for state government to develop electricity markets at the sub-national level, with the aim of delivering consistent and affordable electricity to residents. Through Light Up Nigeria project, state governments will derive the benefit of increased access to electricity, attraction of investment opportunities, revenue generation and economic growth,” he noted.

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